an account of the life, and the second of the writings, of the revered subject of his narrative. From the former of these divisions, the following particulars are taken. They cannot fail to interest and edify the readers of the Christian Observer, who will doubtless agree in a remark of the Missionary Swartz, that "in this fundamental article [the writer had been speaking of "intimate union to Christ by faith;" AMONG the honourable and hopeful features of the present age, not the least so is the increased demand which exists for the writings of our great standard divines, whose works are now widely circulated not only as detached treatises, but, in many instances, in a collective form, some of them having recently appeared in this shape for the first time. The writ-"being in him," "renouncing sin, ings of Bishop Beveridge, in particular, were widely scattered, and a part of them were of rare occurrence; while the just estimation in which the more popular of them are held, could not but render every theological reader anxious to see them collected into an uniform series, and placed beyond the reach of casualty, and perhaps, in some instances, ultimate oblivion. This service to the divinity student and the Christian public, has been faithfully performed by the Rev. T. H. Horne; so that for the first time the theological reader may now possess, in a combined form, and at a moderate charge, the whole works of this eminent prelate. But not the least interesting part of Mr. Horne's task has been the compilation of a memoir of his author, of whose life little was known or appeared to be recoverable. But what could be retraced, has been collected by the zeal and diligence of the indefatigable editor; and his materials are of such a nature that it is only to be lamented that they are still too scanty for the wishes of the reader. Mr. Horne divides his memoir into two parts; the first containing CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 268. and all the false pleasures of the world," "not putting our confidence in any thing except the sufferings and atoning death of Jesus Christ,"] I like none more than good Bishop Beveridge: he forgets not to raise the superstructure of a holy life, but he lays first the foundation in a true and lively trust in Christ, after the example of St. Paul *." May every reader of this memoir, both ground his hopes for eternity on the same unshaken rock, and, like this exemplary prelate, build thereon" gold, silver, and precious stones," the works of faith, of diligence, and of love. CLERICUS. MEMOIR OF BISHOP BEVERIDGE, It is the glory of the British Church, that her most illustrious ornaments have very frequently been men, who, without any adventitious circumstances to recommend them, have been raised to distinction by their learning, their talents, and their piety, after devoting, in Swartz's letter, from which this extract is taken, will be found in the Christian Observer for 1802, p. 496. 2E comparative obscurity, the greater public in 1658. part of a long and laborious life to the duties of their sacred function. The history of clergymen, indeed, whose days are not seldom spent in a humble village, or in a remote province, cannot be expected to produce many occurrences beyond the ordinary routine of their pastoral duties, or the common enjoyments and calamities of domestic life. Hence few memorials of them are extant, except the incidental notices which are with difficulty to be found in contemporary publications, or which may perhaps be gleaned from their own writings. Such, in particular, is the case with that eminent prelate, the learned and devout Bishop Beveridge. William, second son of the Rev. William Beveridge, B. D., was born early in the year 1636-7, at Barrow, in the county of Leicester; of which place his grandfather, father, and elder brother were successively vicars. After receiving the first rudiments of education under the tuition of a learned father, he was sent to the free school at Oakham, in the county of Rutland, where he continued two years under the care of Mr. Freer, the then master. On the 24th of May, 1653, he was admitted as a sizar, or poor scholar, in Saint John's College, Cambridge. During his residence at college, he acquired general esteem, not only for his early piety, seriousness of mind, and his exemplary sobriety and integrity of life, but also for his diligent application to the course of studies prescribed by the university. The learned languages he cultivated with particular attention; and, by his assiduous study of the Oriental languages, he in no long time attained such a proficiency as enabled him, at the early age of eighteen years, to compose a Latin treatise on the Excellency and Use of the Oriental Tongues, especially the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, and Samaritan; together with a Grammar of the Syriac language, in three books. This was given to the Two years before, in 1656, he had taken his degree of Bachelor of Arts; and in 1660 he proceeded to that of Master. On the 3d of January, 1660-1, he was ordained deacon, in the church of St. Botolph, Aldersgate, by Dr. Robert Saunderson, bishop of Lincoln; and priest, in the same church, on the 31st of the same month: about which time Dr. Gilbert Sheldon, who then presided over the see of London, collated him to the vicarage of Yealing, or Ealing, in the county of Middlesex. As the office of a deacon in the Church of England is a step or degree to the ministry, according to the judgment of the ancient fathers, and the practice of the primitive church, it is wisely provided in the rubric of the office for the ordination of deacons, that the individual so ordained must continue in that office for the space of a whole year, "to the intent that he may be perfect, and well expert in the things pertaining to the ecclesiastical administration ;" and though, ordinarily, it is much better that deacons should fulfil their year of probation in this first order of the Christian ministry, yet a discretional power is vested in the bishops, "for reasonable causes," to confer the office of presbyter before the expiration of that year. Such a reasonable cause was undoubtedly afforded in the exigencies of the church, then just recovering from the confusion in which the whole nation had been so many years involved by the Great Rebellion; to which we may add the high character of Mr. Beveridge, whose subsequent conduct fully justified the expectations which had been raised by his reputation for learning and piety. How deeply he felt the responsibility of the pastoral office, we may easily perceive from his "Private Thoughts," (a work known to have been written in his earlier years, on his first entrance into holy orders, though it was not given to the public till after his decease); in one of which he expresses his resolution, "by the grace of God, to feed the flock over which God shail set him, with wholesome food, neither starving them by idleness, poisoning them with error, nor puffing them up with impertinencies." Mr. Beveridge continued at Ealing nearly twelve years, assiduously occupied in the duties of his sacred office; amidst which, however, he found leisure to continue his learned studies. The result of these appeared in his "Institutiones Chronologica," an elementary work on chronology, published in 1669; of which succeeding writers have not failed to avail themselves. This treatise is dedicated to Dr. Humphrey Henchman, who had succeeded Bishop Sheldon in the see of London, and by whom he was subsequently promoted. Three years afterwards, namely, in 1672, Mr. Beveridge printed at Oxford his great collection of the Apostolic Canons, and of the Decrees of the Councils received by the Greek Church, together with the Canonical Epistles of the Fathers, in two large folio volumes, in Greek and Latin; and illustrated these venerable remains of ecclesiastical antiquity with copious prolegomena and annotations. On the 22d of November, in the same year, he was chosen rector of St. Peter's, Cornhill, by the lord mayor and aldermen of the city of London. On this occasion, he resigned the vicarage of Ealing. Being now placed in the centre of the metropolis, an enlarged sphere of usefulness presented itself to him. Accordingly, he revived among his parishioners the primitive practice of administering the sacrament of the Lord's supper every Sunday; and (as we are informed by the editor of one of his posthumous treatises, the "Private Thoughts,") he applied himself with the utmost labour and zeal to the discharge of his ministry, in all its several parts and offices." "How powerful and instructive was he, în all his discourses from the pulpit! How warm and affectionate, in his private exhortations! How orthodox in his doctrine! How regular and uniform in the public worship of the church! In a word, so zealous was he, and heavenly minded, in all the spiritual exercises of his parochial function; and his labours were so remarkably crowned with blessing and success, that, as he himself was justly styled the great reviver, and restorer of primitive piety, so his parish was deservedly proposed as the best model and pattern for its neighbours to copy after." This is, unquestionably, high commendation, yet, it should appear, by no means exaggerated; at least, if we may judge of Mr. Beveridge's pulpit labours by the sermons published after his death, every page of which glows with the most ardent piety and affectionate solicitude for the welfare of his pårishioners, blended with a profound knowledge and forcible application of the sacred Scriptures. The multiplicity and variéty of Mr. Beveridge's pastoral labours, at this period of his active and useful life, appear to have left him but little leisure for preparing any thing for the press, excepting a Vindication of his Collection of the Canons of the Primitive Church, in reply to the Observations of an anonymous author, which appeared in Latin, in 1679; in which year he proceeded to the degree of D. D. He was not, however, long unrewarded. His singular merit having recommended him to the favour of his diocesan, Bishop Henchman, he was collated by him, on the 22d of December, 1674, to the prebend of Chiswick, in the cathedral of St. Paul's, London; and on the 3d of November, 1681, he was also collated by his successor, Bishop Compton, to the archdeaconry of Colchester. In discharging the duties of this responsible office, he evinced the same vigilant, regular, and exemplary conduct, which he had previously shewn in every station of life. For, not satisfied with the false, or at least imperfect, reports, which at that period were delivered by churchwardens at vi sitations, he visited in person every parish within the limits of his archdeaconry; and took a very minute and exact account of the state of every church he visited, as well as of the residences of the clergy. These particulars were carefully registered in a book, for the benefit of his successors in that dignity. On the 27th of November, 1681, Dr. Beveridge preached his admirable sermon on the Excellency and Usefulness of the Common Prayer, before the same distinguished prelate, on occasion of the opening of the parish church of St. Peter's, Cornhill. This discourse was afterwards printed, with a dedication to his patron; and was so favourably received by the public, that in a short time it passed through four editions, and is still retained among the books and tracts circulated by the venerable Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. More elaborate vindications of that admirable manual of public devotions (which deservedly holds "the very first rank among uninspired compositions") have, unquestionably, appeared in later times; but none which contain a more compendious, or more popular, vindication and illustration of its excellency, design, and usefulness. On the 2d of September, 1683, Dr. Beveridge preached a sermon on the anniversary fast for the great fire that devastated the city of London in 1666. Its exordium is very solemn and impressive. On the 5th of November, 1684, he was installed prebendary of Canterbury, in the room of Dr. Peter Du Moulin, deceased; and some time between the following year and 1688, he became the associate of the learned and pious Dr. Horneck, in directing the religious societies which began to be formed in London, in the reign of James II., and which greatly contributed to the revival of religious feeling in the metropolis, whence it extended into different parts of the country. It is, however, remarkable, that the exertions of a minister, so zealous as Dr. Beveridge was for the doctrine and discipline of the church, were at that period a subject of jealousy, not merely to the popish or interested adherents of the court, but also to some of better principles, who feared that the encouragement of such a spirit might lead to a renewal of past dissensions. In the reign of King James II., Bishop Burnet informs us, the fear of Popery was so strong, as well as just, that many persons in London and its vicinity began to meet often together, both for devotion and for their further instruction. Similar meetings had formerly been held, but only among the Puritans and Dissenters: whereas the members of these societies were in full communion with the Church of England, and applied to their ministers to be assisted with forms of prayer and other directions. "Some," he continues, "disliked this, and were afraid it might be the original of new factions and parties; but wiser men, and better, thought that it was not fit nor decent to check a spirit of devotion at such a time. It might have given scandal, and it seemed a discouraging of piety; and might be a means to drive well-meaning persons over to the Dissenters." It is not to be supposed that two divines of such acknowledged piety and reverence for the discipline of the church, as Dr. Horneck and Dr. Beveridge confessedly were, would engage in such an undertaking without a full conviction of its propriety and legality. Bishop Kidder, the hiographer of Horneck, states, that he himself laid the rules which the latter had given for the direction of these societies before a distinguished prelate, then living, who was clearly of opinion that the young men were not to be discouraged, and that he was well contented to leave them to the care and management of a minister of the Church of England. The prelate alluded to was either Archbishop Tillotson, or Dr. Henry Compton, the patron of Beveridge, who filled the see of London from 1675 to 1713. Dr. Woodward, to whom we are indebted for the best account of the religious societies in London, states, that their design, constitution, and rules had been approved by various eminent divines, and, among them, by Tillotson; who, after examining their regulations, and the trifling objections made against them, publicly, and on several occasions, declared it to be his opinion, that these societies were a support of the Church of England. With regard to Bishop Compton, it appears, that as they advanced in numbers and reputation, some mistaken or ill-affected persons represented them to the Bishop as leading to schism, spiritual pride, and many other ill consequences. These charges produced a vindication of the societies, in which the apologists assured his lordship that their only design was to excite each other's affections towards spiritual things, to quicken their preparations for another world, and, in order to this end, to assist each other to live in all respects as it becometh the Gospel." They further stated, that they desired to prosecute this Christian design in none but Christian methods, with due respect to their superiors in church and state, and without any cause of offence to any one. The result was, that this vindication of the societies appeared so reasonable to Bishop Compton, their assemblies so regular and subordinate to the public worship, and their designs so truly Christian and inoffensive (all which was attested by several eminent divines in their behalf), that his lordship declared himself satisfied with it, and expressed his approbation in words highly worthy of a Christian bishop; 66 "God forbid that I should be against such excellent designs." The object of the religious societies, in the direction of which Dr. Beveridge held so conspicuous a place, was first and principally to promote edification and personal piety in their several members; to effect which purpose their rules appear to have been well calculated. They did not, however, confine themselves to this single design, but endeavoured to promote piety in others in various ways. With this view, they procured sermons to be preached every Sunday evening in many of the largest churches in the city, either by way of preparation for the Lord's supper, or to engage communicants to a suitable holiness of life after partaking of that sacrament, which they procured to be administered in many churches every Sunday. They further extended their charity to deserving objects in all parts of London and its suburbs; and by the pecuniary collections which were made by their influence, many clergymen were maintained to read prayers in so many places, and at so many different hours, that devout persons might have that comfort at every hour of the day. Among other benefits which resulted from these religious associations was the institution of societies for reformation of manners, and the establishment of the two venerable Societies for propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and for promoting Christian Knowledge at home and abroad; both of which subsist to this day, with increasing activity and usefulness. In the year 1689, Dr. Beveridge was president of Sion college; in which capacity he preached the anniversary Latin sermon to the clergy of the city of London; and on the 20th of November, in the same year, he preached the "Concio ad Clerum" in Westminster Abbey, before the convocation held by the bishops and clergy of the province of Canterbury, on occasion of the |